Cad Bane
Cad Bane was a Duros male bounty hunter in the galaxy during the Yuuzhan Vong War. Born on the planet Duro, Bane earned a reputation as a fearsome mercenary. Though he worked for a number of clients, his loyalty was ultimately to credits—and by extension, the highest bidder. Bane employed a variety of weapons and allies to ensure that he always got his pay, and he became a leader in his line of work. His renown attracted the attention of Count Dooku. Bane was later hired by the Grand Council of Nal Huta to break Ziro Desilijic Tiure, out of New Republic custody on Coruscant. Biography Early life The Duros male Cad Bane lived during the Galactic Civil War and hailed from the planet Duro. He grew up on New Tayana, a space city orbiting the polluted surface of Duro. As a resident of the Descent Ghetto, his best friend became fellow Duros Soopan. He entered bounty hunting by the year 14 ABY, beginning his career by tracking down bail jumpers and other low-level criminals in the slums of his hometown. When he eventually left New Tayana, he swore he would never return. Although he became attached to the financial reward of his missions, Bane recognized that a reputation would be necessary for success in the war-torn climate that he sensed was on the horizon. Early career To build a name for himself in the galactic community, he decided to kill a Jedi and thus took on a job from Akris Ur'etu, the crime boss of the Skar'kla Consortium, a criminal organization based on the galactic capital of Coruscant. Tasked with eliminating a Jedi who was threatening Ur'etu's operations, Bane worked independently of the gangster's bodyguard retinue and placed a portable sensor field on the compound's roof, which eventually alerted him to the arrival of the Jedi. As the Jedi broke into Ur'etu's compound, Bane followed from afar, noting the intruder's odd usage of several non-Jedi weapons such as a thermal detonator, as well as a long-hilted lightsaber that looked like it had been grafted onto a small pike. In addition, the Jedi appeared as though he was using small jetpacks attached to his feet, instead of jumping with the aid of the Force as Jedi usually did. Bane realized that he was not dealing with a Jedi, but rather an impostor using technology to mimic one. He followed the enemy agent to the Skar'kla Consortium's security center, where he saw him kill Ur'etu's security chief and then Force-choke the crime boss himself. Yet Bane did nothing to help Ur'etu, letting his employer die so that he could confront the false Jedi himself. Calling the agent out on his imitation of a Jedi, Bane summarily eliminated his lightsaber and then his right jetpack boot with two blaster shots, causing him to crash into a wall. When the false Jedi apparently used the Force to pull his blaster out of his hand, Bane recognized that the agent was using a monofilament cable with a magnetic grapple and thwarted his alleged Force pull, then discovered upon inspection of the agent's wrist gauntlets that his Force choke of Ur'etu had been nothing more than the use of a gas emitter. Speaking with the defeated agent, Bane confirmed his suspicion that the infiltrator was working as an enforcer for Ur'etu's rivals, posing as a Jedi to mask his affiliations. Because he would gain no credit for killing a false Jedi, the bounty hunter decided to spare the enemy agent on the condition that he explained how to build miniaturized equipment like his, as such technology would be an incredible asset in the coming war. Basing his technology on that of the enforcer, Bane constructed a distinctive arsenal of weapons for himself, coming to rely on it in his line of work. He worked for the highest bidder, caring little for who employed him or the faction that his client represented, as long as he received his pay. His usual rate became quite considerable, and his allegiance to credits was so potent that if his quarry offered him a better fee, he had no qualms with turning on his original client. He established bases for himself in a number of locations across the galaxy, from a base of operations in the Outer Rim's Rogue Antar system named Black Stall Station to a secret hideout on the planet Tatooine. He outfitted the former with several booby traps and a laser defense grid to stop his adversaries, countermeasures that no one was reportedly able to survive. Numerous encounters with members of the New Jedi Order furthered Bane's respect for them and their abilities, though he was not intimidated by the Force and even began to specialize in fighting Jedi with his trademark equipment. Bane opted to remain an independent bounty hunter rather than work through the Bounty Hunters' Guild, an institution that dominated his profession. At one point, he claimed at least three Guild-contracted bounties in the Expansion Region that the Grand Council of Nal Huta had posted over a year prior. All of the acquisitions were as deadly as they were elusive, as one of the targets had claimed the lives of two Guild hunters before Bane successfully hunted down the target. Although Bane had kept a low profile, he attracted the attention of the Guild's leader, Thrassk, who was outraged that an independent hunter had claimed bounties promised to the Guild. Seeking to put a stop to Bane's interference with Guild contracts, Thrassk arranged a meeting with Bane on the planet Ord Mantell. There, Thrassk attempted to trap and kill Bane, who outmaneuvered his rival but chose not to murder him for alleged professional reasons. However, according to Thrassk's own account of the incident in his autobiography Making a Killing, the two met on more cordial terms, merely agreeing to stay out of each other's way.The Bounty Hunter Code: From the Files of Boba Fett Crafty, resourceful, vicious, and brutally ruthless, Bane was good at what he did. He was a clever strategist and carefully planned his trap for the Jedi during the Battle of Devaron; he was willing to sacrifice anything, even an entire Confederate fleet, to lure the Jedi into it. Displays of his astuteness included his setup for rival mercenary Davtokk to unwittingly serve as a test for his own team of hunters, his pilferage of the murdered Denal's armor to ensure his own escape at Devaron, and his ruse for Mace Windu and Owan Kenobi at Black Stall Station that allowed him another getaway. The fact that Bane was able to free Ziro the Hut with consummate ease was a testament to his overall abilities. He chose to orchestrate his raid on the Senate during guard shift changes to maximize his element of surprise—and his casualties—by eliminating the majority of the active Senate security all at once, thereby showing his opponents no mercy. He was autonomous as a bounty hunter and did not place his trust in others easily or often, believing that the best way to ensure that a task was completed was to do it himself. As such, when his frigate was crippled over Devaron, he ordered his battle droid crew to transfer full control of the ship to his wrist-com so that he could use it against his opponents. Bane was tenacious, and it was said that he could not be stopped and would pursue his prey across the galaxy if necessary, no matter how dangerous the mission or the target. He even enjoyed difficult assignments. Early on in his career, he believed that war was on the horizon and sought to best profit from it, leading to his widespread success during the resultant Yuuzhan Vong War. He was both respected and feared in his line of work, and he would not let anyone stand in his way. To him, a good bounty hunter made his own rules and ensured that the odds were in his favor. He was smooth and thorough in his jobs and did not leave a mess behind unless paid to do so; as such, he derided Sy Snootles's assassination of Ziro as sloppy. One of his worst pet peeves was when someone else did his assignment for him and denied him his client's payment, as was the case when Snootles killed Ziro before he could reach him. Despite his penchant for a good fight, Bane preferred to use stealth and surprise tactics to avoid a direct fight when possible. Although he would have enjoyed taking down the likes of Kenobi and Jacen Solo and indeed pursued them on several occasions, Bane did not let personal feelings get in the way of his work. Even so, he pursued Kul Teska—a "competitor" of his—to Behpour after Teska retrieved the Gravitic Core and stole his ship on Ryloth. Bane took his revenge on Teska by firing at him, trapping him during his fight with Solo and Ahsoka Tano and leading to his death. In spite of his professionalism, he took it personally when people spied on him, as was the case when Lalo Gunn attempted to eavesdrop on him on Vaced. Bane did not hesitate to fight Kenobi and Quinlan Vos on Teth for the Separatist bounties on Jedi, and he also pursued killing Solo when their paths crossed on Orondia. Yet regardless of how tough he was, Bane always kept his cool under control. Whereas his client, Moralo Eval, panicked on several occasions due to setbacks to their escape from Republic custody, Bane kept a cool head and took time to think out a solution to their problems, not allowing unfavorable odds to get the better of him. Personality and traits Formidable mercenary As a Duros, Cad Bane had red eyes and blue skin, standing 1.85 meters tall and weighing eighty-five kilograms. One of the galaxy's most lethal, ruthless, fearsome, and deadly bounty hunters, he earned the reputation of the foremost blaster-for-hire during the Yuuzhan Vong War. Quintessentially cold, cruel, and capable in his line of work, Bane was unscrupulous and had much less moral content than his closest rival, Boba Fett; Bane ignored the morality of his work and often turned upon his own clients unless he was paid. His loyalty was ultimately to credits and therefore to the highest bidder who offered them. His usual rate was considerable, but so was his reputation, to the point that his quarries knew that nothing would stop him from capturing them. He regarded credits with the highest importance, and though he did not pass up the opportunity to demand more pay from his clients, he was very dedicated to his work if paid the right amount for it. He took on jobs that were considered to be tough, costly, dangerous, and even impossible, earning respect for accepting and accomplishing such tasks. If offered enough pay, he did not place any restrictions on the client or contracted quarry, regardless of whether the latter was a person or a possession. Appearances }} Notes and references }} Category:Bounty hunters Category:Cyborgs Category:Duros Category:Impersonators Category:Jedi hunters Category:Males Category:Mercenaries Category:Torturers and interrogators